Burma Bliss founders William and Min, photographed by Makar Artemev
The Asian food boom is nothing new. Over the past 15 years, Berliners have grown accustomed to finding authentic mango sticky rice, pho bo or Korean fried chicken just around the corner. Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean cuisines have become an integral part of everyday dining culture. Burmese cuisine, however, has remained unexplored – until now.
Min, meanwhile, went on to live in Europe and the United States. He later founded Laphet, a company dedicated to producing and distributing products made from fermented tea leaves, a defining ingredient of Burmese cuisine. As Laphet gained recognition, customers repeatedly asked Min the same question: where could they try authentic Burmese dishes made with this distinctive ingredient in Berlin?
There was no good answer. At the time, Berlin simply didn’t have a Burmese restaurant.
Bestseller khao soi, photo credit: Burma Bliss
The minds behind Burma Bliss are William Lin and Min Thu Swe, both born and raised in Myanmar. They met in Frankfurt during their student years. After university, William spent a period of time working in Germany before returning home, where he began building a name for himself as a photographer and YouTuber.
We thought Berlin might be missing out, which is surprising for a city with such a vibrant and diverse food scene.
The turning point came when Laphet appeared on Die Höhle der Löwen, the German equivalent of Dragon’s Den. William was watching an episode and suddenly recognized Min. “I hadn’t seen him for about 10 years, and I was completely surprised,” he says. “For a long time, I had been thinking that Berlin was missing a Burmese restaurant and that one should be opened. I called Min and asked him what he thought.”
It turned out Min had been thinking the same thing. Burma Bliss was born.
“The global renaissance of Asian cuisine was already in full swing at a time when Burmese restaurants were still almost non-existent,” says Min. “Because of Myanmar’s instability and the political events of the past decade, there are very few tourists,” William adds. “As a result, the cuisine isn’t widely known. But whenever a Burmese restaurant does open somewhere, it tends to become popular. In San Francisco, for example, Burma Superstar has enjoyed uninterrupted success for more than 10 years.”
In recent years, a handful of Burmese restaurants have opened in cities like Sydney, London and Amsterdam. “We thought Berlin might be missing out,” William says, “which is surprising for a city with such a vibrant and diverse food scene.”
Shan khout swel, photo credit: Burma Bliss
The restaurant’s interior quietly balances Charlottenburg’s clean architectural lines with gentle Southeast Asian warmth. Soft greens and earthy browns dominate the space, complemented by understated décor and a dining room that feels calm, functional and intentionally unfussy. Nothing distracts from what matters most: the food.
Despite the popularity of fusion food, Min and William were united in their vision. They didn’t want reinterpretations or hybrid creations; they wanted authenticity. “Our chefs come from Myanmar because it was very important to us, as a pioneering restaurant, to present the most authentic flavours,” says Min.
Bok choy dish, photo credit: Burma Bliss
Burmese cuisine has been shaped by centuries of exchange with Indian, Chinese and Thai traditions, yet it has evolved into a culinary language entirely its own. Compared to Thai cuisine, Burmese food is generally less spicy, but no less expressive. Its dishes are built around a careful interplay of salty, sour, gently sweet, spicy and bitter elements, which work together to create depth rather than dominance. Rice is the backbone of everyday eating, and Burmese cooking uses generous amounts of oil, not only for frying, but also in soups and curries. “The only compromise we made was to serve slightly lighter dishes for lunch than would typically be eaten in Burma at midday,” Min explains.
Another one of the defining pillars of Burmese cooking is fermentation. The most iconic example is fermented tea leaves, known as lahpet (that’s right – Min’s company is a play on the name), which form the base of one of Myanmar’s national dishes, a salad called lahpet thoke. Alongside tofu, which is widespread across the region, Burmese cuisine also uses tohut, a paste made from fermented chickpeas.
Lahpet thoke (tea leaf salad), photo credit: Burma Bliss
Flavour, however, is only part of the story. Texture plays an equally important role. Most dishes don’t have a single dominant texture. Rather, they’re composed with contrast and movement in every bite. Soups, curries and salads alike are typically finished with something crunchy, like puffed or roasted seeds, fried legumes or tempura, which brings lightness and contrast to richer components.
Burmese cuisine has an impressive variety of salads that are main, multi-ingredient compositions, rather than simple side dishes. At Burma Bliss, the guest favourites are lahpet thoke and gin thoke, a salad made with julienned fresh ginger complemented by cabbage, leafy greens, crunchy seeds and a carefully calibrated dressing. It’s the kind of dish that feels comforting on a cold winter day and invigorating in summer, a rare combination that also explains why it has already become one of the restaurant’s bestsellers.
Tohu (Burmese chickpea tofu) fritters, photo credit: Burma Bliss
Burma Bliss used its soft opening to test and refine their menu, but now it has become clear which dishes guests keep coming back for and which ones will quietly disappear. For Berlin’s ever-curious food enthusiasts, the opening of Burma Bliss means only one thing: a new chapter in the city’s Asian food story has just begun.
Visit Burma Bliss on Grolmanstr. 15, Charlottenburg and follow on IG @burma.bliss.
